TOW The Burial at Sea
by friends.lobsters
Summary: After the tragic death of their father, Monica and Ross (along with the rest of the gang) set sail to give Jack Geller his requested burial at sea. When an awful storm hits, and the friends are stranded on an island, they must use all their courage and survival skills to make it out alive. Can they back to New York safe and sound, or will they be stuck on the island forever?
1. A Burial At Sea

**A/N: Alrighty! This is my first story, hope you enjoy! Positive reviews and constructive criticism is appreciated :) Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, I am borrowing them for my own amusement.**

Monica let the tears run free as she set her head on her brothers shoulder. Ross stroked her hair to let her know that it would all be okay, but he wasn't too sure it would be. Their father Jack had suddenly passed away from a heart attack. Monica and Ross, along with the rest of the gang, were on Joeys sailboat which he won at an auction a few days earlier. They planned to give Jack the burial at sea he had requested about 6 years ago. In Monica's hand was her father's ashes, put in a pretty glass jar with a red ribbon wrapped around it. Phoebe approached Monica and Ross with a frown on her face.

" The aura around you two is so murky… I wish there was something I could do to make you guys feel better," she said.

Joey, hearing this, piped up from the other end of the boat.

"Actually Pheebs, I'm pretty bummed right now too, would you mind tossing me a meatball sub from the cooler? That would really make me feel better!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes and laughed, as did Monica and Ross. She went to the cooler to go get the sub for Joey, and she gave Monica and Ross a little smile before leaving them to go with Joey.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Rachel asked as she rubbed Monica's arm. Monica was standing at the edge of the boat, ready to start the burial.

"Yea, I think so… I've said my goodbyes. Ross, would you like a moment alone with dad?" Monica asked while wiping a tear.

Ross shook his head. "I think it would be too hard… I'll just say it infront of you guys so I don't break-down completely."

Monica passed the ashes to Ross. Ross looked down at them, tears welling up in his chocolate coloured eyes.

"Dad… I just wanted to say, you are the greatest father anyone could've asked for. You were always there for Monica and I, and you never let us down. Even though sometimes you could be a bit, uh, different, that is what made you so special and loveable. I love you so much. Goodbye, dad," he said as gently put the bottle into the wavy water.

Everyone was sobbing as they watched it slowly sink down to the bottom. The sky was gray and the wind was picking up. The weather matched perfectly with the moods of all six friends. The sobs got a bit louder, and the wind got stronger. They pulled into a tight embrace, and didn't plan on letting go. And they didn't let go, until a huge wave came and shook the ship, causing them all to tumble to the ground.

"Oh my God! What just happened?" Chandler said as he struggled to get up to his feet.

"I'm… I'm not sure!" Ross yelped. "It look like we are caught in a huge storm!"

"Wow, we sure chose a great day to go sailing…" Chandler mumbled.

The rain started to pour down, and thunder started to rumble. The waves were beginning to increase in size, and the wind was causing the sail to go wild in all directions.

"Doesn't this boat have some sort of cubby we could hide in and wait out the storm?!" Joey yelled over the wind.

"Well you should know, it's _YOUR_ boat!" Monica erupted.

Squinting through all the rain, and feeling her way through the soaked boat, Rachel (who knows boats better than anyone else there) found a tiny, damp room near the bow of the boat.

"Guys!" She yelled. "I found a place where we can wait out the storm, follow my voice!"

The gang followed her voice, and all crowded into the musty, dark cubby.

"Well… What do we do now?" Ross asked the question that everyone was thinking.

"We just stay put, and hope the boat doesn't capsize." Rachel replied, shivering.

They all huddled close together to preserve body heat. For now, they had to keep the grieving at bay, and worry about their own survival.

 **A/N: There you have it! That is the first chapter, please review :)**


	2. In The Dark

**A/N: Yay! Thank you so much for the kind review Mondler2017, it made my day! Here is chapter 2, enjoy :)**

"Guys, how long has this storm been going on, I wanna go home!" Joey whined.

Ross checked his watch, and looked back up at Joey. "Only 45 minutes."

"Well, don't worry Joe, I feel like the storm is gonna pass very soon," Chandler told Joey in a soothing voice.

"R-r-really?" Joey asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yea! In fact, I think I can hear birds chirping! You know what they are saying? They're saying: You're all gonna DIE AT SEA!" Chandler said angrily, causing Joey to pout.

"Guys, please, we have to stay positive!" Phoebe said as she began plucking Ross' aura.

"Pheebs, Pheebs! What have I told you about cleansing my aura?" Ross said glaring at her.

Phoebe frowned and mumbled something under her breath.

Rachel decided to speak up, she hated seeing her friends this upset. "Alright, I have an idea! Instead of facing the harsh reality that we are all jammed in a dark, wet cubby, let's imagine we are back in New York at Central Perk! That'll be fun, right?"

"Oh yea sure Rach! Ok, I'll order first. I'll take a cup of dirty water, and a side order of DEATH BY SAILBOAT!" Monica said, clearly infuriated.

Chandler sat there looking at Monica, amused. "Honey, since when did you pick up my sense of sarcasm?"

Monica laughed. "Well, I've been living with you for long enough, it started to grow on me."

Phoebe began clapping her hands and grinning. Everyone turned to Phoebe, and looked back and forth at each other, until Chandler spoke up.

"Uh, Pheebs, I think I speak for all of us when I ask, what the _hell_ are you doing?"

Phoebe, still grinning from ear to ear replied, "The aura is so much cleaner and happier than before! I just love when we are all happy, even in… this...uh… situation we are in."

Joey smiled, but quickly returned to being upset. "Yea, thats nice and all Pheebs, but when do you think we are gonna get out of h-"

 _ ***THUD***_

With a sharp motion, they all jerked forward, hitting the wall of the cubby.

"DAMMIT!" Joey screamed, making everyone fear that the worst had happened.

"What, what is it?!" Rachel screeched.

"I just sat on the last meatball sub… :( " Joey replied sadly.

Monica was debating whether or not she should get out and see what happened. That one step out of the cubby could determine if they survive or not. What if they hit a pier from a city far away from New York? Or what if they just hit a jagged rock in the middle of nowhere. The suspense was killing her. She opened up the cubby door, and started to step outside. The bright sun filled the once dark cuddy, making everyone sigh with relief knowing that the storm was over. When Monica got to her feet, she took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. Her eyes widened, and gasped. She couldn't believe her eyes!

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, it is very fun to write! Chapter 3 coming soon, please review :D**


	3. Welcome To The Island

**A/N: Back at it again with another chapter! Wow, thank you for nearly 200 views on this story! Please review though, I would like to know what you think :) Ok, enough talk, happy reading!**

Monica stood there in shock. The gang looked at her from inside the cubby. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw was dropped. Ross, noticing something was wrong, signaled everyone out of the cubby to see what his sister was so shocked about. They all stretched out a bit, then turned to what Monica was looking at. Directly in front of the boats bow was a perfectly preserved skeleton, all of its bones intact.

"Oh my God… Looks like we aren't the first ones here!" Phoebe said, pointing at the skeleton.

The skeleton was resting on an island in the middle of the water. The perimeter of the island was all sand, but the middle of the island was grass, trees, and rocks. The island itself was quite large, about the size of a NFL football field from one end to the other. Coating the edge of the island were tiny shells, and pebbles. Moss hung from many of the islands trees, and made a canopy of shade.

Although the skeleton had slightly ruined the mood, Monica was grateful they had found a decent place to stay until they were (hopefully) rescued. It is better than being stranded on a sandspit, or simply just drifting in the water. At least this place might have food, or a clean water source.

"You know, this place isn't really too bad! We could make do with this." Rachel said optimistically.

"I guess so, yea." Joey said, a little less optimistically.

"Alright people! We've got limited time. We are gonna split up, and each have jobs. The sun is just below the highest point, meaning it is sometime after noon. We've got the rest of today to build a shelter and find food and water." Monica directed.

Joey tapped Monica's shoulder. "Uh, Mon, I found water." Joey said, pointing to the water surrounding the island.

"I mean water you can drink, Joe!" Monica told him.

He shrugged, and started playing with some shells along the shore.

Monica began to take charge again, and started to assign jobs. "Ok, Ross, you go with Rachel. Your job is to find food and water. I'll go with Phoebe, and we will build the shelter. And Chandler, you go with Joey. Just supervise Joey, and find something to fix the boat, the mainsail broke."

Monica turned to where the boat was, only to find that it was floating away, and now was just a speck in the distance.

"CRAP!" She shouted angrily.

"Just our luck…" Ross mumbled.

"That's okay, I didn't really need that boat anyways, I don't even know how to sail…" Joey said.

There was no time to mourn over the loss of their boat, they had to make this island a little more homey before night fell. Ross and Rachel headed into the trees to find food and water, while Monica and Phoebe headed to the part of the island where the sand turned into grass to build their shelter. Chandler and Joey stayed at the shore to do… Well… Nothing.

Even though they were heading in different directions, they all shared the same thought. Would they be able to fulfil their given jobs, and would they even make it through the night?

 **A/N: That is chapter 3! Hope you liked it, please review ;)**


	4. Thoughts

**A/N: Next chapter! Enjoy!**

Rachel's mind was flooding with many thoughts. She couldn't focus on her task, she could only focus on her worries. She had so many plans for life, there was so many things she still hadn't done, and the thought of her and her friends dying on this island was enough to drive her crazy. She wanted to find her true love, she wanted to continue to work in fashion. But most of all, she wanted to be the best person she could be. She wanted to get married and have kids. All of this seemed so far now. Further than the distance from this island and back to New York city. But in all this, she knew she had to hold her head high, and stay strong for herself and for her friends, who were all going through the same thing. _Just keep your head up. Think of what Pheebs would do, she is such a positive person! Think of Mon, who is so determined! Remember Joey, who is so relaxed and carefree! Remind yourself of Chandler, who is probably thinking of a joke that basically sums up this situation! Last but not least, remember how generous Ross is, and how he is gonna put everybody else before himself,_ she thought to herself. Positive affirmations are always the best way to go.

Monica was determined to make it out alive. There was lots that she could do to help her and her friends stay safe, and better yet, alive. There was plenty to do, and so little time. No matter how hard she tried to be calm, she couldn't. Her wedding, the day she had dreamed of since she could walk and talk, was coming up later this year. She had been eagerly planning it, and she was so happy that she would get to spend the rest of her life with the man who she loved more than anyone in the whole world. But now that may never happen. They might have to have a pathetic little unofficial "wedding" on this island. Most people want a destination wedding on an island, but this is DEFINITELY not what she had in mind. Monica pushed these thoughts away, and continued to work. She can't change what happened, so she may as well go along with it, no matter how stressful it may be. There was so much on the line, but with the help of her friends, she knew they would get through this. They had to.

Phoebe sensed how upset the others were. As much as this wasn't the ideal situation to be in, she knew everything was gonna be okay. They would get rescued, and if not, they could manage living on the island. The aboriginals lived off the land, and they were okay, so they could easily live here for a while. Although she was trying to keep herself positive (and was doing a fairly good job), she did miss New York. She missed Central Perk, and letting herself into Monica and Chandler's apartment without asking. But then she remembered she had a client in about fifteen minutes, who she was supposed to give a nice and relaxing massage to. _Damn it!_ She thought. That probably bothered her the most out of everything that was going on right now.

Joey was concerned. Very concerned. Now the only women he would ever get to sleep with is Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe. _Oh wait… Monica is engaged, so she is off limits,_ Joey thought to himself. Ok, at least he still had Rach and Pheebs. _Oh but wait…_ He thought, _Rachel is probably gonna end up with Ross…_ He didn't mind too much. That just leaves Phoebe, but he didn't have a problem with that, he always had a special place in his heart for good ol' Pheebs. Then the whole idea of food crossed his mind. He probably would never have a meatball sub again! *Gasp* and no more sandwiches! But worst of all, no more pizza! He would never be able to order The Joey Special ever again! That was surely enough to kill him. Now he was stuck with coconut milk and (probably poisonous) berries. Not only was there a great deal of women in New York that he hadn't yet slept with, there was a great deal of food he was still yet to try! _Great, just great,_ he thought miserably.

Chandler was still trying to process that this all had just happened. This was the first time in his life where he couldn't find it in himself to make a joke. He was downright miserable. What were they supposed to do? Well, the others were gonna do their given island assignment, while he was over at the shoreline watching Joey. He was the perfect candidate for it after all, he was probably the weakest one there, and only ever dishes out sarcastic comments. Pushing all of that to the side, he thought about the wedding he was supposed to have. He and Monica were so excited about it, and now look what happened. Would they ever get to be a married couple, or would they die engaged? _Poor Monica, she must be totally crushed…_ He thought. Then out of nowhere, he remembered the Chick and the Duck. How would they manage without he and Joey there to take care of them? He just prayed that Treeger would eventually find them and take them somewhere safe where they would be loved and cared for. Until he would (hopefully) get back to New York with all his friends, he would just have to put up with this semi-unbearable living situation.

Ross was beyond scared. He wanted to look strong and tough, especially in front of Rachel, who looked so fragile and scared. He was gonna do everything he could possibly do to make her feel happy again. The warm vibes he usually got while he was around her had faded. It upset him when she was upset. The others were also (understandably) down in the dumps. He was too, he just tried his hardest not to show it. He thought of his career, which he was unsure would ever go further. What would the university think when the Professor of Paleontology didn't show up for work tomorrow? But most importantly, what about his beloved son Ben? How would he manage not seeing his own son ever again? How would Ben react knowing he wouldn't see his father? He is seven years old, he is old enough to know these things, which just makes is much harder for the both of them. _What on earth am I gonna do?_ He thought frantically.

 **A/N: That was chapter 4! I'm actually real proud of this one :) ! This chapter was just so you could get into the minds of each of the characters as they go through this. The next chapter will be back to normal. Please leave a review :D**


	5. Attempting To Make The Shelter

**A/N: Ok, here is chapter 5!**

Monica scanned the island for any materials that would be useful to build a temporary home. There didn't seem to be too much, so she figured they might have to go on a little stroll to find good supplies.

"You know, I lived on the streets, so I always made makeshift shelters! You really nominated the best person to help you with this job!" Phoebe said.

Monica smiled. "That's right, you used to live on the streets! What was your shelter made of?"

"Hmm, is there any refrigerator boxes on this island?" Phoebe asked, earning a look from Monica.

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Monica said, raising her voice a little.

"Woah, woah, don't stress out! Worst comes to worst, we can sleep under the stars, or maybe in some sort of a cave." Phoebe soothed, trying to reassure Monica.

Monica calmed down a bit. "I guess you're right…"

Phoebe thought for a minute. She had read a National Geographic magazine article about how to build a shelter in the woods incase you're stranded. She couldn't remember most of it, but she did remember that the strongest shape for a shelter is a triangle. They could have 2 long logs at the front forming an A frame (the point of the triangle), and then another long log connected to that point, and slanted up against the ground. This was the main structure frame of a tent. Phoebe pitched this idea to Monica, who seemed stunned at Phoebe's knowledge of building and structures. Monica agreed to try that idea, so she and Phoebe went out to find logs for the frame of the house.

Phoebe and Monica both ended up at the building sight at the same time, but with different wood. Monica brought back light-weight, thinner logs, while Phoebe carried heavier, wider logs.

Monica raised an eyebrow at Phoebe, who was proudly grinning at her stack of building material.

"Hehe, Pheebs... What are those?"

"The logs you asked me to go get!" Phoebe said. She then looked at Monica logs. "Well what the hell are those, twigs?! Those will never work Mon!"

"They will look so much nicer than those chunky old things! Imagine if those fell on us in the night! They would crush our ribs!" Monica yelled.

"Um, are you forgetting, your brother is a DOCTOR! So what if we crush a few ribs, he could fix us right up!" Phoebe told Monica, emphasizing the word "doctor."

Monica rolled her eyes. "Ross doesn't reassemble HUMAN bones, he works with DINOSAUR bones!"

The duo continued to argue for a long, long time. They were too busy shouting at each other and criticizing each others choice of log, that they hardly got any work done. They went out and collected medium sized logs because they came to the conclusion that both their logs were the incorrect size for building a house. After getting the correct sized wood, they ran into yet another problem. They kept attempting to make the structure stable, but they just couldn't seem to get it right. Little did they know, they would end up sleeping under the stars that night.

 **A/N: Okk! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they make my day! Just letting you all know, I did struggle on this chapter**


	6. Ross, Rachel, and The Ravine

**A/N: I love the positive reviews, and I'm very glad to hear that you guys are enjoying my story! For this chapter, I will be explaining what Ross and Rachel were doing while Monica and Phoebe were doing the shelter stuff in the last chapter. Soon, I will do the same for Joey and Chandler. Ok wow, I've rambled a lot, just enjoy the chapter lol! :D**

Ross walked alongside Rachel, perfectly matching her pace. As they walked through the trees, he couldn't help but admire her natural beauty. They had been stuck in an awful cubby during a bad storm, and stranded on an island, but somehow she still looked gorgeous as always. With every stride, her long honey coloured hair shone like gold in the afternoon sun. Her features were absolutely perfect, down to the last eyelash. She had a strong, sharp jaw, and striking stormy blue eyes. Her cheek bones were perfectly defined, and her smile was enough to light up the darkest of rooms. Not to mention her lips. They were so irresistible, in fact, he was debating whether or not he should plant a kiss on them…

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Ross gazing at her, as if he was in a trance. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, Ross clumsily slammed right into a tree!

"Oh my God! Ross, are you alright?!" She asked, frantically trying to help him up.

Ross, blinking stars from his eyes, struggled to stand up. His head was pounding, he must've hit it pretty hard. Looking down, he realized his clothes were filthy, so he brushed away some of the dirt that had clung to them.

"Oh here honey, let me help you with that." She said as she began gently brushing the mud off his clothes.

"Thanks Rach." He said, giving her a smile. He loved how much concern she showed for other people.

She patted him on the back, and smiled back at him. "So, we are here for food and water. What should we start with?" She asked while staring into his chocolatey coloured eyes. She could look into them all day.

"Well, we should probably start with water, considering there is a huge ravine right behind you." He said, pointing over Rachels shoulder.

Rachel turned around to see what Ross was gesturing to, and her gem-like eyes immediately widened. In front of her was a very deep pit (similar to a quarry) filled with crystal clear water. Vines hung from the rocks that surrounded the chasm, but no rocks resided in the beautiful water, making it perfectly safe for jumping and swimming.

"Ahh, Ross this is so great!" Rachel squealed while hugging him tightly.

He smiled. "Well, I wouldn't say it is up to bottled water standards, but it looks clean enough!" He reported.

She flashed him a quick smile, then looked back at the newfound water source. She looked at it for a few seconds, then turned back to Ross.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked him with a goofy grin plastered on her face.

Ross cocked his head to the side to show her that he didn't know, but intended to find out.

She took off her shoes, socks, and shirt, leaving her in just a bra and shorts. She giddily skipped to the edge of the ravine, and jumped off the ledge and into the water below.

"Rach!" Ross shouted as he ran to the brink of the quarry. He had already checked for any sign of rocks at the bottom, but there was none. Either way, he still needed to make sure she was alright.

Rachel, who was probably a good 20 feet below Ross, waved up to him, signaling that she was okay.

"Ross, it is so refreshing! You've gotta come in! It is really deep, so you won't get hurt if you jump!" She screamed up to him.

Ross hesitated. He didn't want to get hurt, but he also didn't want to leave Rachel down there alone. What if she needed him? _No more hesitation!_ He thought. He took off his shoes, socks and shirt, but kept his shirts on.

"Alright Rach, I'm comin' down!" He called to her, as he began to ascend into the air.

With a splash, he hit the water. It was slightly chilly, but it was more refreshing than cold. He floated up to the surface, and shook the water out of his hair. He swam over to Rachel.

"I must admit, you talked me into doing the stupidest, and possibly the bravest thing I have ever done in my life!" Ross said laughing.

Rachel laughed. "This is perfect, we never have any time, you know, with just the two of us." She said, her eyes piercing into his.

Ross peered at her. He loved every single bit of her. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized this was the perfect moment to tell her how he felt.

"Rach… I just wanted to say… Um, y-you are really beautiful, and I never really gave up on you. I have always loved you. I want you and I to be endgame. If we don't make it off this island, I want you and me to be together forever. I have never loved any woman as much as I adore you… And, uh, I r-really wanted you to know that." He nervously told her.

"Oh Ross...:" She said blushing under his gaze, "I love you too."

He knew this was the right time. This was it. He pulled her in and passionately kissed her. She didn't retreat, instead she hugged him close to her. Wrapped in each others arms, they both knew this is where they wanted to be.

 **A/N: Woo, that was a long chapter! Don't worry, this will be a two-parter, I won't leave you hanging! I hope you liked this, this is personally my favourite so far, I am extremely proud of it! Part two coming soon, leave a review! ;)**


	7. Ross, Rachel, and The Ravine 2

**A/N: I told you I wouldn't leave you hanging! :)**

After a while, they both broke the kiss.

"Rach, you don't know how much this means to me. I have loved you since I was 15. I had none of you, than some of you, and now I have all you, and I am so beyond grateful for that."

Rachel paddled over to Ross and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Honey, you are so sweet. I love you so much. I always knew that somewhere down the road, we wouldn't just be You and Me. We would be Us again."

Ross smiled at her. "Not to put a damper on the romance, but do you know how we are gonna get out of here? I'm starting to get tired from treading." He said wearily.

"I wouldn't just jump into a ginormous pit of water without making sure there was a way out!" She said through giggles as she pointed to a man-made staircase leading out of the ravine.

She and Ross swam over to the exit. Just as Rachel was about to climb out, she remembered something vital.

"Uh, Ross, I think we are forgetting what we came down here for in the first place...:" She said.

Ross slowly tried to connect the dots. "What was it?" Then he remembered. "OH! Shoot! Ok, I'm gonna climb back up, and find something to contain the water. Then I will bring it back down here to be filled."

Rachel smiled. "That's sweet of you, but I can do some of the climbing too, I don't mind!" She told him, although she secretly hated climbing up and down stairs.

Ross shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I want to do it, besides, you deserve some rest. As your boyfriend, I want you to be treated the best." He told her as he gently rubbed her hand.

"I could certainly get used to this!" She said as Ross started his trek up the stone stairs.

A few minutes later, Ross returned with 6 coconut shell halves. "I figured these were similar to cups, so they would work pretty well." He said shrugging, not sure if his idea would be successful.

"Great! Lets fill 'em up!" Rachel said determinedly.

She went to the edge of the water and filled up one coconut half at time. Once all six were filled to the rim, they each took six and carefully hiked back up the stairs, making sure none of the recently collected water had spilled. Once they got back up to the top, they set the coconut shells down on a flat rock, and sat in the sun for a few minutes to dry off. Ross looked over at Rachel, who was propped up on her elbows, allowing the sun to dry her tanned skin. Ross secretly admired her body very much. She was toned, and her skin was golden brown from a good amount of sun exposure. Little did he know, Rachel was secretly admiring his form as well. He had very strong muscles, despite people's opinion that he was weak. He had a six pack as well, which Rachel's eyes couldn't help but wander to. Once the beads of water that were once on their bodies had dried, they stood up and put their shirts and shoes back on.

"Alright, the last thing we gotta do is find food." Rachel said, while checking water off her mental To Do List.

"I'm pretty sure I saw a wild mulberry tree on the way over here!" Ross said excitedly.

"But how do you know they aren't actually poisonous berries?" Rachel questioned him.

"Don't worry, my aunt had a mulberry tree when I was growing up, and she used to let me pick them all the time! They have a pretty distinct look to, so we should be fine." He assured her.

She grabbed his hand as he guided her to the mulberry tree. They approached the tree, which was actually pretty large. The mulberries were small, and they had a purpley colour. Despite their size, they were very juicy looking.

Rachel took one look at the tree, and she couldn't help but admit they looked absolutely delicious. Maybe her hunger was getting in the way, but she wanted to eat the whole tree. Her stomach let out a growl.

Hearing this, Ross piped up. "Rach there is whole tree, go nuts, I can tell you're hungry!"

Rachel laughed, slightly embarrassed. She excitedly started to eat from the tree.

"Woah! These are great! They are very juicy and sweet!" Rachel said, happy they had found something edible and tasty.

Ross handed Rachel a half a coconut shell and kept one for himself.

"Let's use these as baskets." He said as he began picking the berries and loading them into the shell.

She followed his instructions, and began to put the berries in the shell. While she did this, a thought crossed her mind.

"Ross, are we going to tell the others we are in a relationship again? Do you remember what happened on Monica and Chandler's engagement night? I don't want them to think we are stealing their thunder again, you know, since their wedding coming up…"

Ross thought about what Rachel said for a minute. "Hm, let's keep it under wraps for now, then we will tell them when the time is right." He replied.

"Ok that sounds good!" She responded. "My basket is full, we should start heading back now."

"Alright." Ross agreed, as his shell was also filled. But then he remembered the water they had left behind. "Wait, I will go grab the water, can you hold the berries?" He asked.

She nodded and took the berries from his hands. He ran to where they had left the water supply, slowly stacking each shell onto another. He carefully wandered back to Rachel, making sure none of the water had spilt. Together, they walked back to the camp, with the food and water in hand.

 **A/N: There you have it, another long chapter! Hope you liked it, please leave a review :)**


	8. The Bet

**A/N: I really, really appreciate the kind reviews! Thank you to FictionWriter91 for reviewing a lot and being very nice! Thank you to all my other loyal reviewers too, it means a lot! Okkk anyways, for this chapter I will be writing about what Joey and Chandler were doing while Ross, Rach, Mon, and Pheebs were doing their jobs.**

Joey and Chandler were sitting at the shoreline doing absolutely nothing. Chandler was sitting on a rather jagged rock, staring off into the distance with the wind in his hair. It was as if he was a model during a photoshoot. He was posed quite sophisticatedly on a rock, and it looked like there was a fan blowing back his hair. Joey on the other hand was sitting criss crossed next to the skeleton that Monica had spotted earlier, gently stroking its well preserved ribcage.

"I think I'm gonna name her Sheila." Joey said while petting the skeleton like a dog.

"... You're weird today." Chandler said while giving Joey a "what the hell are you doing" look.

"Well I've got nothing better to do, Monica didn't give me a job!" Joey whined.

Chandler snorted. "I can understand why she chose to leave out the guy who _names skeletons_!" He said sarcastically.

Joey rolled his eyes. "She left you out too you know, and I have never seen you name a skeleton in our seven years of friendship, so it's gotta be for a different reason!" Joey reminded him.

Chandler stopped for a minute. "Yea... That's right… My own wife left me out. Does she think I'm not capable of completing a task? Or that I'm weak?"

Joey shrugged. "I don't know, why don't you ask Sheila." He said while picking up the skeletons hand and waving it at Chandler.

Chandler sighed and looked out at the waves. Did Monica really think that poorly of him? Or was he taking this too far?

Joey noticed that Chandler was upset, so he tried his best to perk him up a bit. "Hey come on Chandler lets do something fun! Wanna go for a swim? You know, cool off a bit, it's kinda hot." Joey asked, his tone upbeat in order to make Chandler feel content once more.

"Yea alright." He said, unenthused. "What do you say, you and I race to that rock." He offered while pointing to a rock in the distance.

"Pff, I bet you can't even swim there and back in under a minute." Joey said laughing.

Chandler narrowed his eyes at him. "Of course I can, wiseass."

Joey raised his eyebrows. "Wanna bet?" He asked competitively.

"Hell yeah I do, bring it on!" Chandler responded loudly, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Hm...Ok! If you can swim there and back in under one minute, I will crush Sheila with a rock." Joey told him. Joey then looked at Sheila and mouthed "I'm sorry."

"Ooh, sound violent, I like it!" Chandler said while rubbing his hands together, like a villain in a movie.

"But," Joey continued, "If I win, you have to treat me like I am at 5 star island resort, and do everything I tell you!"

Chandler hesitated. Should he take that stupid (not to mention ridiculous) bet? Oh what the hell, he had nothing productive to do anyways.

"It's a deal!" Chandler said determinedly.

"You're on." Joey replied, looking Chandler straight in the eye.

They shook hands and sealed the deal. Now it was official, there was no turning back.

Joey sat on the rock that Chandler had been on previously, and adjusted his watch. Chandler took off his shirt and shoes and began doing a little warm up dance. Then he eased himself into the semi-cold water.

"Alright, I'm ready Joe!" He said while looking at his target in the distance.

Joey looked at his watch. "Ok…3...2...1… GO!" He yelled.

Chandler swam with great speed towards the sharp rock ahead of him. His momentum took Joey by surprise.

"Wow," Joey mused, "He is actually pretty good!"

Chandler took a breath as he touched the halfway target. Now he just had to swim back, and he would be done. He swam exceptionally fast, hardly stopping for a breather. Chandler reached the point where he started from, concluding his race against time. Panting, Chandler looked up at Joey, wanting to know whether he had succeeded or not.

"Haha! One minute AND fourteen seconds! Loser!" Joey bragged.

"Damn it…" Chandler muttered. He failed by fourteen seconds. There was nothing he could say to change the outcome. He lost, and he knew it.

"You're now my servant. The first thing you have to do is: Tell Sheila how much you love her." Joey commanded while gesturing to Sheila a few feet away, laying on the sand.

Chandler walked over to the skeleton. He lowered himself down to her level, and rolled his eyes. He took a deep breath, and began talking to Sheila. "I love you Sheila. You are perfect just the way you are… Although I must say, you're lookin' a little bony, care for something to eat? Anyways, if I had to choose any skeleton to get stranded on an island with, I would definitely choose you." Chandler said reluctantly.

"Good." Joey praised him.

Chandler sighed. This was not gonna be fun.

 **A/N: That's all for that chapter, I hope you liked it! Please leave a review, it only takes a second ;) Thanks!**


	9. Back from Their Jobs

**A/N: Okie dokie, here is chapter 9! This is when they all come back from their jobs.**

Monica wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "This blows!" She spat angrily. "The gang is gonna be so mad at me, I couldn't even get the damn shelter finished!"

Phoebe looked at Monica. "First of all, the "gang"? What is this, Scooby Doo? Second, WE didn't get the shelter done, it wasn't just you, so don't be too hard on yourself."

Monica rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" She mumbled.

Phoebe decided to ignore Monica's behaviour and snarky remarks. She knew how much she was grieving for her father. Of all people, Phoebe herself knew how painful it was to lose a parent. Besides, the whole idea of possibly dying on an island wasn't that great either. Monica truly had a lot on her plate at the moment. Suddenly, Phoebe saw a figure emerging from the other end of the beach.

"Oh hey, Mon, I think Chandler and Joey are coming!" She said.

Monica wearily turned her head. What she saw was quite abnormal. She was shocked to see Chandler carrying Joey across the beach on his back. Struggling, Chandler finally made it over to Monica and Phoebe.

"I hope you enjoyed every _single_ second of that." Chandler grunted as he bent down, allowing a smiling Joey to climb off his aching back.

Monica and Phoebe looked at eachother. Just as they were about to ask what that was all about, Ross and Rachel appeared from the trees in the middle of the island. They were both carrying lots of food and water. They seemed to be the only ones who did anything productive that day.

"Hey you guys!" They both said, rather upbeat, despite the situation they were all in. They carefully began placing their collected items down.

Ripples of "heys" and "hi's" came from the group of friends.

Joey was the first to notice the mulberries that Ross and Rachel had picked.

"Chandler, go get me those berries." Joey ordered.

Before Chandler could move, Rachel came to Chandlers defense.

"Hey, woah, woah, come on Joe! I think you can walk two steps and get your own food." She said with disapproval.

Joey thought about it. "I can. But I don't want to!" He said smugly. "And don't think I'm just being an ass for the fun of it, I won the right to it, fair and square!" He added proudly.

Everyone just looked at him with very perplexed looks upon their faces.

Chandler knew an explanation would have to be made at some point, so it was better to do it now than to hold it off. "Alright, alright. Joey and I made a bet, which, as I'm sure you can tell, I lost. Now I have to be at his every beck and call, 24 hours a day as my punishment."

"And how long is this gonna last?" Ross asked, looking at Joey and Chandler.

Joey smirked at Chandler. "We'll see." He said ominously.

Chandler sighed miserably. Monica approached him with open arms.

"Aw, I'm sorry honey, that sucks! But whatever the bet was, I'm sure you put up a strong fight!" She said as she gave him a great big hug.

Chandler snorted. "Yea, I'm sure YOU think that." He said sarcastically.

Immediately noticing the tension, the others started to back away in order to give Monica and Chandler their much needed space.

"Uh, come on guys, I'll, um, show you Sheila!" Joey said while directing them all to his boney beach friend at the shore.

Monica pulled away from Chandler. "What's that supposed to mean, mister?" She asked seriously, with a hint of anger in her tone.

"You think I'm weak don't you! Don't hide it, I know the others think the same! That's why you didn't give me a job like everyone else!" Chandler said aggressively.

Monica looked hurt. "Chandler, of course I don't think of you as weak. Honey, you are strong, emotionally and physically. I only sent you off with Joey because you two are such great friends, and he kinda needs someone to watch over him, not because I think you are weak!" She said, looking him straight in the eye.

Chandler was silent for a moment. He looked into the beautiful blue eyes of his wife. He trusted that she wouldn't lie to him. Slowly, a small smile spread across his face, and he took her into his arms. They embraced tightly.

"I'm sorry I accused you of thinking those things, and I'm sorry for getting mad." He whispered into her ear while stroking her dark hair lovingly.

She broke the hug, and smiled at him. "It's okay honey."

Meanwhile, the others were watching from afar.

"Do you think we are good to go back now?" Ross asked his friends, who were all wondering the same thing.

"Considering they don't look like they wanna rip each others heads off, I think we should be okay." Phoebe responded.

They walked back across the sandy beach, and back to the duo as if nothing had happened.

Trying to make things a little less awkward, Rachel spoke up. "Alright, so let's see that shelter!" She said looking expectantly at Monica and Phoebe.

Monica looked at Phoebe with dread. "Uh… About that…" Phoebe started, motioning to the pile of untouched logs.

"Oh my God! You guys didn't finish, what are we gonna do now, it's almost dark!" Ross exclaimed, the panic in his voice clearly rising.

That was enough to break Monica. Poor, fragile Monica. She crumpled down to the ground. Her body shook as she broke down in sobs. "I'm... I'm sorry… I failed! I'm a failure, I'm sorry!" She cried while covering her eyes.

Unsure of what to do next, the group bent down and tried to console her.

"Mon, no one is blaming you, we know you tried your best, and to be honest, you and Phoebe had the hardest job!" Rachel said while rubbing Monica's back.

"Yea, don't be too hard on yourself, we know you have had a lot to deal with lately." Joey told his upset friend.

Monica sniffled. "I-I guess…" She said while drying her eyes.

Ross helped his sister up. "You know what, this can be fun! We can turn this into some kind of a "sleep under the stars" thing!" Ross said optimistically, hoping to perk up Monica.

"Ooh yay! This'll be so much fun!" Phoebe squealed, making Monica smile.

"Thanks for cheering me up you guys, I couldn't ask for better friends." Monica said, and she truly meant it. Her friends were so important in her life. In fact, they were like family to her.

While everyone's attention was on Monica, Joey dashed off to the shoreline. "Look guys! I already found the perfect place to sleep!" He called to them, while lying down dangerously close to the waves that were yet to crash onto the shore.

Ross' eyes widened as he saw the oncoming wave. "Uh, Joe, I really don't think that is the best idea-"

Too late.

The wave crashed down on Joey, completely soaking him. "Damn it!" Joey yelled as the others tried their best to stifle their laughter. Unfortunately for them, they didn't do the greatest job, and Joey picked up.

"Ha ha, Joey is soaked, very funny!" He said with a frown on his face.

They all muttered their half hearted apologies, still giggling.

"Anyways, what do you say we all just sleep right here?" Ross offered.

"Sounds good!" Rachel responded.

They lowered themselves down to the ground and tried to get into a comfortable position. They formed a little line, Ross and Rachel on the left side, Joey and Phoebe in the middle, and Monica and Chandler on the far right.

"I really miss him Chandler…" Monica whispered tearfully to her fiancé.

Chandler rubbed her shoulder. "I know sweetheart, I know. It must be hard, but I am gonna be there for you."

Monica kissed him, and her eyes began to shut. Chandler put his arms around her, and didn't let go until she had drifted off. Once she was asleep, he used the good old "hug and roll" technique to free himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lineup, Ross and Rachel were still awake. For a while neither of them spoke, they just gazed up at the bright stars.

"I wonder if he is watching us from up there." Ross said, referring to his late father.

Rachel quickly made sure everyone was asleep (which they were) so she could hold his hand.

"Of course he is honey." Rachel told him softly.

"I-I just really wish he was here…" He whispered, his voice faltering.

Rachel squeezed his hand. "I understand. But don't worry, I'm gonna help you get through this. We all are." She whispered to him, making him feel a bit better.

He gave her a quick, but affectionate, peck on the cheek. The couple, still hand in hand, peacefully fell into a deep slumber.

 **A/N: Woop woop, that is chapter 9! I think I am getting better at writing longer chapters :) Hope you enjoyed, leave a review, there'll be more to come ;)**


	10. Breakfast Discussion

**A/n: Wow, my tenth chapter! I never thought I would make it this far! Thank you all for your incredible amount of support and positivity, I am enjoying this! Sorry if this one is a little shorter than the last few, it is mainly a discussion chapter.**

The sun rose just above the horizon, casting its rays on the water as well as the island. The beams of light woke Rachel up first. She groaned, couldn't she sleep just a little longer? She groggily lifted her head, and the sunlight made her squint. She covered her eyes and propped herself onto her elbows. Pain shot up her spine and into her neck, making her wince. She assumed it was because of the awkward position she had slept in. She was used to a nice soft bed, but instead she was stuck with an uncomfortable, (far from pleasant) bed of sand. _This island is like floating torture!_ Rachel thought to herself. She got up slowly, and stretched her back out.

Ross woke up next because he realized Rachel was no longer next to him. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the morning sunrise. In front of him, he took notice of Rachel, who was still grimacing from back pain. Seeing this, he shot up from the ground to her aid.

"Rach, are you alright, what happened?" Ross asked her, concerned.

Rachel flashed him a small smile. "I'm fine, just had a rough sleep." She assured him.

Joey blinked the sleep from his eyes and let out a loud yawn. "Mornin' you two." He said tiredly.

"Mornin' Joe!" Ross responded.

Joey brushed the sand from his clothes and shakily got to his feet. "Wh- Hey! Look you guys, I'm dry again!" Joey shrieked excitedly.

"Joe, if you weren't dry after a good 8 hours of sleep, we would have a problem!" Rachel said between giggles. Monica and Chandler woke up next. That left Phoebe, who was out like a light.

"Should we wake her?" Ross asked the group hesitantly.

"Nah, it's cute! Let her sleep, yesterday was pretty tough." Joey told Ross.

"No way! We've got a shelter to build!" Monica cut in forcefully.

Monica knelt down to sleeping Phoebe's level. "WAKE UP! COME ON SOLDIER, WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO!" Monica yelled into Phoebe's ear.

Phoebe shot up. "Sir, yes sir!" She responded, clearly playing along.

(Time Jump, they are all sitting in a circle eating a breakfast of mulberries).

"Ok, so what's the plan for today?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, I'm thinking," Monica started, "Maybe we should-"

Suddenly, Monica was cut off by Joey.

"Ack, son of a BITCH! This berry is sour as hell!" Joey yelled while spewing the berry everywhere, including right onto Chandler.

Chandler wiped the tiny pieces of mulberry from his face. "As much as I _thoroughly_ enjoyed that refreshing berry shower you just gave me, you are bound to end up with a few bad berries, so for the next time, refrain from doing that again." Chandler replied, sarcastic as usual.

"I can do whatever I want! Have you forgotten? You lost the bet!" Joey said, smirking.

"I agreed to be at your service, I DIDN'T agree to having chewed up berries spit all over my face!" Chandler yelled.

Monica still hadn't given up on finishing what she had to say from earlier. Maybe if she spoke up now she would break up the argument. "ANYWAYS! I was thinking that Chandler, Joey and Ross could try to help me with the shelter today.

"Ooh, so that just leaves me and you Rach! What do you wanna do? Ah we could have so much fun!" Phoebe said giddily while clapping her hands.

Ross and Rachel shot each other a look from across the circle.

"Umm, Pheebs… Uh, Ross and I kinda had our own job to do today. I'm sorry honey…" Rachel told her gently.

"Yea, Mon I'm gonna have to take a raincheck." Ross told his sister.

"Uh alright… What are you two doing today anyways?" Monica asked, somewhat suspiciously.

Rachel's eyes widened as she nervously glanced at Ross for guidance. Ross gave her a look telling her that he would handle this one.

Ross cleared his throat. "Well we were thinking of getting some firewood, uh you know, to um, make a fire." He said, fumbling his words from nervousness. Would the others question him and Rachel? His heart was beating out of his chest.

"Oh ok! Great idea!" Monica responded, smiling. Ross and Rachel quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok, so Phoebe, are you up for helping with the shelter?" Monica questioned her friend.

"Of course!" Phoebe said.

"Alright!" Monica said excitedly as she put down her bowl of mulberries. "Let's get right to it!"

Chandler smiled. It made him happy to see that Monica back to her old self. He knew she was still grieving on the inside, but that was just natural. She was handling the pain much better on the outside. He was so proud of her. He stood up, and went to join his fiancé and friends in a long day of shelter building.

 **A/N: Happy 10th chapter! Oh, and happy 30 reviews! Thank you for the support, it means a bunch! Ok, chapter 11 coming soon, reviews are appreciated ;)**


	11. Making The Shelter

**A/N: Goooood morning/afternoon/evening/night everyone! Hope you are all well, and have had a great day so far! For today's chapter, I will be writing about when Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe build the shelter! I'm not sure why, but I don't always do the best when it comes to writing about building things, so we'll see how things go. To quote Jennifer Aniston's movie, sometimes you gotta Just Go With It (lmao). Ok, enjoy!**

Monica stood in a little huddle with Phoebe and Chandler.

"Alright you guys," Monica began, "we've got some heavy-duty work to do-"

Then Phoebe jumped in. She raised her hand as if she were in class, and started shouting out like a student who had eagerly prepared an answer and was begging to be called on.

"Ooh, Ooh! Mon! Mon!" She called out while waving her raised hand like mad.

Monica stopped and looked at Phoebe, her eyebrows lifted.

"Yes Pheebs?" Monica said rather impatiently.

"Can I do the interior of the hut? I can make it really nice, I can add pretty flowers, and herbal plants from around the island! Maybe I can drape some moss around too! Aw, it'd be just perfect! Can I do it? Please, please, please-"

Monica put her hand on Phoebe's arm to calm her down.

"Yes honey, you can."

Phoebe squealed with delight.

Monica didn't like wasting precious time, so she continued with what she was saying earlier.

"Ok so anyways, let's plan this out a bit. Phoebe showed great interest in doing the inside of the house, so she can do that. I will collect the necessary materials from around the island, and Joey and Chandler can wait here with Phoebe until the building begins."

Some people thought Monica was bossy and controlling, and in some cases, that was very much correct. Although, in their unique situation, having Monica around was quite handy.

"That sounds good." Phoebe replied, and Chandler nodded his head in agreement.

Monica did an excited little bounce, earning a smile from Chandler. _She is just the cutest!_ He thought.

"Yay! In that case, let's get right to it! Woohoo, Team Monica!" She yelled excitedly as she ran off into the wooded area of the island to collect supplies.

Phoebe turned to Chandler with a perplexed look upon her face.

"Team Monica?" She asked, quoting her friends earlier statement.

Chandler smiled and shrugged.

"Monica has been through Hell and back recently, let's just let her enjoy this."

"True, true." She replied. "Oh hey, do you have any idea where Joey is?"

Chandler turned towards the shore and pointed to Joey, who was throwing shells at an aggressive seagull.

"Hi-ho sailor Joe! Whatcha up to over there? Leave the poor bird alone!" Chandler shouted to him from quite a long distance.

The seagull squawked and flew away. Joey sulked and trudged through the sand and over to his group of friends with an upset look on his face.

"The damn bird was attacking me! I was just sitting over there minding my own business and it started biting my shirt with its mangey little beak! So I tried to shoo it away, but then it tried to peck my fingers! I decided I had enough! So I started throwing shells at the stupid thing! But that didn't work either. Thankfully when Chandler shouted it scared the bastard and it went flying. I mean, why, why would it to that to me?!" Joey ranted.

Chandler blinked. "Wow. First off, I'd like to compliment your _excellent_ storytelling skills. Second, I think the bird was attacking you because you still have some leftover mulberries on your shirt from breakfast." He said pointing to Joey's stained button-up shirt.

"Damn it! Chandler, do me a solid and take this to the water and wash it." Joey said while unbuttoning his top.

Chandler opened his mouth to refuse, but then he remembered how he lost the dumb bet. He obediently took the shirt from Joey and set off to attempt to clean it.

Phoebe stared at Joey who was standing across from her, not to mention _shirtless._ She tried not to gawk at what she would call "a hunk of eye-candy," but it was almost impossible to draw her attention from him to something else. At that moment, Joey saw her. Being Joey, he was not offended, and instead played along with it.

He looked Phoebe up and down and said his iconic: "How you doin?"

Phoebe giggled in response. Just then, Monica emerged from the trees, carrying three enormous logs.

Joey ran over to her. "Woah, Mon! You need some help?" He asked her.

"Hey, I may be tiny, but I'm pretty strong!" She said (and she spoke the truth).

She set the logs down near Phoebe and Joey.

"So, Phoebe and I were thinking, we could build the shelter with an A frame, that way it's very sturdy. Then we can prop up another log against the point of the A frame so it holds up. As for the roof, we can just cover the frame with thinner logs, sticks and maybe even some moss. Does that sound like an okay gameplan?" Monica told them her idea.

"Wow, that plan certainly has a lot of potential! I say we give it a shot!" Joey said smiling.

Monica grinned. "Perfect!" She then looked from side to side, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, where's Chandler gone off to?"

"He's cleaning my shirt." Joey replied straightforwardly.

Monica knew that Chandler had lost some weird bet, so she didn't bother questioning any further. "Alrighty then…" She responded.

Just then, Chandler came back with a drenched shirt in his hand.

"I would let this dry for a bit. I did my best, but I could only lighten the big stains, and only the little ones were fully removed." Chandler explained.

"That's fine. Thanks pal!" Joey said, giving Chandler a little pat on the back.

Chandler snickered a bit. "Hey, when you say pal, you kind of remind me of Eddie. Remember him? The fruit-drying freak?"

"Ohh yea! That guy! Ugh, I'm so glad he took his eggs and he left!" **(a/n: aha I snuck the little egg joke in there. Only true Friends fans will understand that reference).** Joey said through laughter.

After sharing that little laugh, the group finally started working on the shelter. Joey propped two logs against each other, forming a point, and a triangle shape. That right there was the A frame. Joey took the remaining log and pushed it up against the top of the A frame, so one end of the log was on the ground and the other end was on the A frame. It looked similar to the way a picture frame is held up in the back.

"Awesome! Now we just need the other stuff to cover it." Joey pointed out while wiping some sweat from his forehead.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about that! I made a pile of long, thinner logs that we can use. I left them over there. I had to make a few trips, it was a lot to carry." Monica explained. She eagerly trotted over to the big pile of logs she made, and carried them all back in one trip.

She connected them to the big log that was holding up the A frame, so that one end was parked on the ground, and the other on the log. She enlisted the help of "Team Monica," and they got it done quite quickly. Now the shelter looked like an empty shell of a house in the midst of construction.

Monica spoke up. "Now all we need is-"

Phoebe cut her off before she could even say "moss." She ran into the trees and yelled, "I'm already on it!"

They waited for a couple of minutes for Phoebe to return. Soon enough she came back, with a huge (and I mean huge) blanket of moss resting across her shoulders like a cape.

"Heehee, look at me! I'm Super Pheebs!" She said while spinning around in circles, causing her moss cape to swirl around her.

Monica, Joey, and Chandler laughed. Phoebe passed the moss to Chandler and he began to dangle it over the top of the shelter. It created a shady little haven on the inside of their new home. Some time later, Phoebe had also finished decorating the interior of the house. She had added pretty pink island flowers on the walls. She dug a little hole, coated it in rocks and filled it with some water. She put a few vines hanging from either end of the roof, and at last she put heavy rocks around the inside and outside of the shelter so it could hold up in bad weather. While Phoebe was doing all this work, Joey had caught a tiny little minnow, and put it in the man-made water hole that Phoebe created.

"I think I'll call him Buddy." Joey gushed, looking down at his new pet/friend.

Finally, it was complete. It took them a few hours. Judging by the sun's place in the sky, they guessed that it was about lunch time by now. They stood around their tiny sanctuary. It wasn't the biggest, or the best, but they were proud of what they completed nonetheless.

 **A/N: Wooooo! I always feel so great when I get a chapter done! I like this one :) This was for my reviewers who asked for a longer chapter, so I tried my best to make it lengthier. I hope you liked, because I liked writing it! Ahhh and don't hate on Joey for making Chandler do all that stuff, it is for comedy purposes (besides, he lost the bet ;3). Anyways feel free to leave a review, they really boost my confidence, and they help me know what you like best, and things I need to improve on. And don't worry, next chapter I will write about what Ross and Rachel were doing during this time ;) Have a good rest of the day! Xoxo**


	12. The Cliff

**A/N: Heyo! So um, basically I screwed up pretty bad last chapter, I wrote that Ross was helping with the shelter, even though he is with Rachel at the moment, and there was also a few other errors. Eeek! Sorry about that, I will try to have it fixed. Anyways, for todays chapter you will get an inside look at what Ross and Rachel were up to while the others were working on the shelter. Enjoy :)**

Ross and Rachel walked along the perimeter of the island. They didn't dare to hold hands because Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe were still in sight, and if they caught the two of them with their hands entwined it would definitely raise some questions. But as they moved further and further from their other friends they took each others hands. For a while they said nothing, they simply just enjoyed each others presence. They were beautiful together, and they both knew it. They were a power couple. Sure they fought, but who hasn't? That was all in the past now, they were younger back then. Now they were much more mature and had more confidence in their relationship.

"Rach." Ross started.

She turned to him. "Yea?"

"Your love is more than worth its weight in gold."

"Aw honey! You are so sweet! But may I ask… How long did it take you to come up with that? I saw you mouthing it for about a mile." She said while grinning, her bright blue eyes shining in the morning sun.

He laughed and gave her a playful little shove, but apparently that tiny push was enough to knock Rachel right to the ground.

"Oh my God! Rach are you okay? I'm so sorry honey!" Ross said frantically as he bent down to help her up.

"Yea I'm fine. Wow, its either you got really strong, or I got really weak!" She said while brushing the sand off her shorts. She grabbed Ross' hand and he easily pulled her off the ground.

"But really though, are you okay? I mean, your back was hurting earlier this morning, I could've just made it worse! I feel so bad…" Ross frowned, as he rubbed her hand.

She smiled at him. "I'm totally fine sweetie, don't worry."

"Ok good." He replied.

They walked for a little longer until they were at the opposite end of the island. Ross and Rachel stopped and admired the blue water, which was nice and calm. A small breeze blew by making them shiver and pull closer together in order to preserve body heat. Then a stronger gust of chilly air blew by, so they decided to go into the forest area in the middle of the island where it would hopefully be less windy. After a while of walking through the trees, the pair realized that they weren't on flat earth anymore, instead they were on an uphill hike on a rocky cliff.

"Phew, can we stop for a little breather?" Rachel asked. Her legs were sore and she was breathing heavily. They both had walked a great distance, and some of that walk was uphill.

"Uh, sure whatever." Ross said staring off into the distance blankly.

Rachel picked up on his slightly unusual behaviour. He was quiet for a good 20 minutes and he had been as emotionless as a robot. She chose not to mention it incase it was something serious. He could've been thinking about Jack, or Ben, so she didn't want to make him upset by bringing it up.

 _Yea, I'll just leave him be. Poor guy… His father just died, and he has a son that he may never see again,_ Rachel thought to herself. _Damn, I don't think I will be seeing Ben anytime soon either. That's too bad… I really loved that kid. He's just like Ross. I wouldn't be surprised if he grew up to be a paleontologist just like his father, little Ben is really into dinosaurs! Of course he is gonna be good looking too when he grows up, he is Ross' kid after all. I wonder, will Ben will ever have any siblings? Maybe Carol and Susan will decide to adopt. That'd be nice, I can only imagine how lonely Ben must get sometimes. Maybe one day Ross and I will get back to New York. And get married. And have kids. I wonder what they would look like? Hopefully they will get Ross' eyes!_

Rachel was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Ross breathing extremely heavily.

"Are you alright?" She asked him as he began rubbing his head in what appeared to be frustration.

"No." He responded shortly. "No. I'm not."

Rachel frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Is it anything I can help you with? If something is bothering you, don't be afraid to confide in me. That's what I'm here for." She flashed him a small reassuring smile.

"I have to get off this island." He said quickly. "I have to pick up Ben in one hour."

Rachel narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Honey, Ben is staying with Carols parents remember?"

Two minutes passed, and he finally answered her with a simple: "Ok."

Rachel patted his back sympathetically, unsure of what to do. She had never seen Ross act this strange. He was constantly running his fingers through his hair, pacing around, and not looking at Rachel directly in the eyes when she spoke to him.

"I'm gonna get off this damn island. I don't care how, but I'm gonna do it!" He said after a while, his voiced raised.

"Ross-"

"NO! I'm NOT staying here, and neither should you! Look at yourself Rach! You're half starved, a slight nudge is enough to send you to the ground! Look at all of us! We are dirty, full of sand, we don't even have a change of clothes! Not to mention the fact that we don't have a proper house either! I'M SICK OF THIS!" Ross said as he walked backwards, away from a wide eyed Rachel.

And that's when it happened.

He took one step too far.

Rachel screamed as his foot slipped off the edge of the cliff.

 **A/N: Hahaha you guys must hate me now! That was a great cLiFf haNgEr (aha get it? CLIFF hanger? I'm hilarious). Don't worry this will be a two parter, I won't leave you hanging for too long. But the question is: Did I kill off Ross? And if I did, how will Rachel and the gang take it? Heehee, more to come! Please please please review ! :)**


	13. Gone

**A/N: Woot woot I'm back! Teehee, I hope you guys don't wanna kill me after that cliffhanger in the last chapter! Ok, well, even if you do wanna kill me, read this chapter first, and hopefully you'll change your mind. Don't lose hope on this story. Okok have fun reading!**

"ROSS!" The words could barely escape her throat. She suddenly felt nauseous. Had she just lost the only man she ever loved? She ran over to the edge of the cliff and peered over the side. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that there was water below, so if there wasn't any rocks where he fell he should come back up safe and sound.

So she waited.

And waited.

Every single passing second felt like a minute. Her heart rate increased significantly and her breathing became shallow. She felt as if she was having a heart attack. A minute had passed, and Ross hadn't reached the surface. He was nowhere to be found. Below the cliff, the only thing that could be seen were tiny waves forming in the dark water.

Rachel shook as gut wrenching sobs escaped her body. She felt her legs give away beneath her as she sunk to the ground. She could hardly breath. Tears were uncontrollably flowing down her sunburnt cheeks, and they wouldn't stop. Rachel sat on the ground for almost a half an hour, but it didn't seem nearly that long. Time had stopped.

She was so heartbroken. Absolutely devastated. Slowly, she crawled to the spot on the cliff where her lobster had tragically fallen from. She looked over ledge one last time in hopes of finding her boyfriend. Her eyes wandered all over, desperately searching for her one and only true love, but to no avail. Shakily, she used all the strength left in her to stand on her two feet. Heavy hearted, she walked down the cliff. The cliff that took Ross away from her.

It was too soon for him.

Too soon.

Once she reached even ground she walked through the trees and back onto the beach. It was hard to think about the fact that she and Ross were walking that same path about 45 minutes ago. But Rachel thought about it anyway.

She thought.

And she thought.

And she thought some more.

The more she thought about it though, the bigger the lump in her throat got. She knew she had to stop thinking about him. He was gone now. Taken away from her in a heartbeat. In the blink of an eye. Just like that. He was gone. In her mind she pictured Ross' face. She visualized him playing with Ben. That was all it took for her to collapse. The agony she was feeling in her heart was taking over. Her vision became distorted and her head was spinning.

Then her sight faded into darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe were all hanging around in the new makeshift house, relaxing and having a good time. Joey leaned over the water hole that his pet minnow, Buddy, resided in.

"Come here little fishy! Come to Joey!" He grinned as the little fish followed his command and swam towards him. "Awww! You guys, look at this!" He said while pointing to Buddy.

Phoebe smiled. "That's just the cutest! Oh, I just hope Sheila doesn't get jealous…" She said, referring to Joey's skeleton friend who was lying lifelessly by the shore.

Joeys eyes widened. "I-I-I better go to talk to her!" He stammered as he rushed out of the little tent-like structure.

Chandler rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Hey guys, I'd say it almost dinner time, wanna feast on the mulberries or what?" Monica asked, smiling at the thought of the delicious berries Ross and Rachel had collected for them. Speaking of which, where were those two?

"Yea sure, but don't you think we should go find Ross and Rachel first? I bet they wanna eat too." Chandler suggested.

"That's what I was just thinking." Monica told him.

"Ok! Let's go get Joey and find them!" Phoebe agreed as she crawled out of the shelter, Monica and Chandler followed closely behind her.

They saw that the sun was about halfway down. Monica was right, based on where the sun was, it was time for dinner. Monica smiled. She loved being right. But that's just natural. Who doesn't love being right?

"Hi ho sailor Joe! We're off to find Ross and Rachel, care to join us for a brisk walk around the island?" Chandler shouted to Joey, who was crouched beside Sheila, holding her tiny, boney hand.

"Sure! Bye Sheila, I'm going for a walk with the gang. But just remember, even though I have Buddy now, that doesn't mean I love you any less!" He reassured his long-dead pal.

Joey skipped over to his group of friends and proceeded to walk along the shoreline with them.

"Which way did they go?" Phoebe questioned.

Monica pointed in the direction that Ross and Rachel had traveled in earlier that day. "They went this way." She told Phoebe.

They walked side by side for a while, not saying much. Joey brought up Sheila a few times, and talked about how Buddy and Sheila could become chums, but that's about it.

"Oh my God! How far did they go?! They said they were going out to collect firewood, why on earth would they go this far-" Chandler was cut off by a scream.

"RACHEL!" Monica screamed when she saw Rachel lying motionless on the sand.

 **A/N: Oh man, I'm having so much fun writing this, it is awesome! I am actually pretty proud! Ok I'm off to write the next chapter! Please leave a review pals! xxx**


	14. Rachel Breaks The News

**A/N:** _ **IMPORTANT NOTICE:**_ **Ok, so I've felt a little bit discouraged. I feel like a certain reviewer is losing some of their faith in my story… I already have a specific plotline planned out, so please don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do next. It takes a lot of courage to share your work with others, so what I do and don't do with my story is my decision. Please refrain from jumping ahead on me :( … Anyways, enjoy this chapter...**

Monica rushed over to Rachel who was lying limp in the sand. The gang followed closely behind Monica, who expressed pure terror. Monica dropped to her knees and grabbed Rachel's little wrist, desperately trying to feel a pulse.

Monica sighed with relief when she picked up a pulse. Although it was fairly faint, it was there. Phoebe stroked Rachel's hair, tears falling from her pretty green eyes. Joey couldn't even speak. He was so shocked. The sight of Rachel made him upset. She was pale, and had tear streaks on her cheeks, meaning she had been crying previously to this. He wondered why.

Chandler was the first to say something. "Oh my God… Why d-do you think this happened?"

Monica wiped away her tears. "I-I'm not too sure… Maybe we should splash a bit of water on her? She seems pretty comatose…"

"I'm on it!" Joey said as he hurried over to the water.

He wet his hands and flicked some beads of water onto poor Rachels face. He did this a few times, until Phoebe noticed that Rachels eyes were starting to flutter.

"Guys! Look!" Phoebe cried as she pointed to Rachel.

Rachel slowly regained consciousness. She blinked a few times, attempting to focus her eyes. The first face she saw was Chandler, who was sitting to her right, holding her hand. Then she looked at Monica, who was sitting to her left, stroking her arm. Directly above her, she saw Joey and Phoebe smiling. But no Ross. She had hoped this was all a dream, but unfortunately, it was reality. Ross wasn't there.

"Oh honey…" Monica started.

"Mon…" Rachel's voice came out very hoarse, and she had to cough a few times.

Phoebe rubbed Rachels shoulder. "We're all just so glad you are awake."

"Yea." Joey said in agreement.

"How are you feeling? Do you want some food or water, you don't look so good…" Chandler said.

Rachel didn't answer. She was too tired. So instead she tried to get up. At first it was painful, but with the help of her friends she managed to stand up and slowly and begin the trek back.

That's when it hit Monica. Where the hell was Ross? He left with Rachel, so he should be coming back with her! Right?

"Rach, where is Ross?" Monica asked the dreaded question that made Rachel break down in sobs once more.

Rachel tried her best to answer, but the words weren't coming out. She knew she had to do it though. She had to break the news. Monica had a right to know what happened to Ross, she was his sister after all.

"Ross… Ross… R-Ross… He… He fell… To his… D-D-Death… From… From… A cliff…" Her voice faltering. Every word felt like it was choking her.

Everyone stopped in their tracks. Monica burst into tears. She was losing everybody important to her! First her father, then she lost her old life back in New York, and now her beloved brother. She embraced Chandler, and she didn't let go. She was determined to make sure nothing would happen to her loving fiancé or her friends, who were all like family to her. Rachel, Joey and Phoebe joined the hug and they all cried together. It seems like everything in their lives was falling apart. They needed each other now more than ever. How could they go on? Rachel was heartbroken that her Lobster was no longer by her side. Monica was devastated that she lost her caring brother. Phoebe was upset that she had lost one of her best friends. Joey was shocked, he could hardly believe that he would never see Ross again. And then there was Chandler who was deeply saddened, he not only lost his best friend, but also his soon-to-be brother in law. Ross was like the missing puzzle piece, he was irreplaceable. The group knew that they would grieve for a long time, but they also knew they had to hold their heads high, and do their best to go on.

 **A/N: I'm aware this chapter was short. Sometimes you gotta have a shorter chapter here and there right? It was a very emotional one too, so it was kinda hard to write. Next chapter will be about everyones thoughts on what happened, and them trying to go on like normal, all the while still grieving for Ross. They have their own survival to worry about too, so naturally I can't exactly make the whole story about them grieving, but it will be a prominent part of the fanfiction. Review if you'd like.**


	15. Trying to Move on

**A/N: For this chapter I will write about their thoughts on what happened to Ross, and their current situation, as well as them trying to move on the next day. I just wanted to say a big thank you to FictionWriter91 who is literally the kindest soul you will ever meet! They have stuck with me and given me great advice on how to speak my mind when I feel discouraged. Thank you. And don't worry I'm all better now, and back in the groove! Hope you all like it!**

Rachel sighed. _Why does this kind of crap happen. We didn't ask for this! Nobody should have to go through this kind of thing. Ever. Losing Jack was hard enough on all of us, then we get trapped on an island in the middle of nowhere. To add to all of this mess, Ross fell off a cliff… Ugh! I can hardly bear the thought of it. In his final moments, he was upset. Angry. Desperate to get away from this hellhole that we like to call an island. He was concerned about how we would manage to survive here, and that's when he plummeted to his death._ A tear slid down her cheek. _I miss him. He always made me feel like I was enough. Like I was loved. I just wish we had more time together. I wish we hadn't taken a break. We could've spent more time together before his passing. Now we won't have a future together… No more dating. No proposal. No moving in together. No vows. No marriage. No family. None of that… Although, we did get married! Sure it was a drunken mistake, but it happened!_ Rachel laughed at the thought of what happened in Vegas. _Oh man, and then he lied to me about us still being married. I wonder why he would do that… Did he still have feelings for me back then? Now I will never know. All I know is that this will definitely be hard to get over._

Monica sat in the sand. Alone. She needed some time to herself. _How could this happen? Why did this happen? Who did it? Did Ross… Jump… Voluntarily? No, of course he wouldn't do that. The only other person who was there was Rachel. Did she push him? Was she still mad about the whole We Were On a Break thing? No, she would never do that, why would I even think about that? In fact, she must be taking it pretty hard too. Everyone is. But… He was MY brother. My brother. The guy I grew up with, who I made a lot of my memories with. Like the times he would dress up as a woman and call himself "Bea" while drinking tea. Of course, I'd always clean up his mess!_ Monica had a good little laugh about this. _I think the best thing that I can do right now is honour Ross, and think about the good times we had with him. I need to be strong. Upsetting things happen to EVERYONE, so I'm not alone. At least he is with Dad now._ That very thought made Monica smile. Her father and brother were now together, and someday she would see them again. For now, she'd just have to hold her head high.

Phoebe sat near the shelter, crinkling a leaf in her hand. For some reason, the crinkling sound was soothing and relaxing to her. _Maybe he died protecting Rachel. Wouldn't that be just perfect? What if he still loved her? I've had this weird feeling lately that those two where sneaking around. And when I have a feeling, I'm almost always right. Except for that time when I was sure Gunther was trying to kill me. Yea, I wasn't completely right about that one… Things are gonna be so different without Ross. He was part of the core members of the group. I mean, he was Monica's brother, Rachel's lobster at one point, and Chandler's college roomate. Oh yea! I mugged him too! I'm kinda glad he never found out about that. Boy, I already miss him. I hope he is having a good time in Heaven. Maybe he met Abraham Lincoln! Ross, if you can hear this, tell Abraham that I miss him, we haven't talked since my 4th past life! Ah, poor Ross, he had so much going for him, it was way too soon._

Chandler hated what was happening to him and his friends. _Does God hate me or something? What did I ever do to Him? First, my soon-to-be father in-law has a heart attack, then we all get shipwrecked at Gilligans Island, AND the cherry on top, Ross falls to his untimely death! Look at us, we're falling apart! Poor Monica. She's had it the hardest out of all of us. Her father passed away very recently, and now she's stuck on this island trying to cope with the fact that her brother is also dead. I just hope we get rescued in time for the wedding. It's still several months away, but you never know, we could be trapped here forever. That would crush her… I really have to be there for her. She can't possibly deal with all of this on her own. If it were me, I know I'd need a shoulder to cry on. I just can't believe he's dead. I mean, he was my college roomate, AND bandmate! We had the pact! Which I actually broke, and now I seriously regret not telling him. We also had our own band! We were pretty good! Ah what the hell, who am I kidding? We sucked. But we had a lot of fun with it! But now he's gone. He was in his 30's. He had so much life left on him. Poor guy…_

Joey sat on a rock near Sheila. "Hey Sheila… I'm really depressed right now, so I'm sorry if I'm not that talkative…" He told her, just before getting lost in his thoughts. _I am usually a man of minimal thoughts… But I can't seem to get all of this off my mind! I mean, it's Ross for God's sake! Like, Ross! As in, Ross! He was one of my best friends. He was one of the guys. He was so great. I remember when we would eat pizza and he'd tell us the details about his relationship with Rachel. It was so sweet, he really loved her. Or the times when we would rent Diehard, sit on the couch with a beer, and watch it over and over again. I mean, Diehard never gets old! Those were the good old days. To be honest, I never thought any of this would happen to us. This is just so upsetting… The others must be taking it pretty bad too. At least I have Chandler, Phoebe, Monica, Rachel, Sheila, and Buddy._ Joey squeezed Sheila's hand. Everything would be okay.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, each of them woke up later than normal, but where still tired. None of them had a good sleep. Thinking of Ross was like a giant weight on their chests. They would toss and turn, but that heavy weight would not go away. Monica cried silently all night long, Rachel didn't even try to shut her eyes, Phoebe just stared at the stars, Chandler fiddled with some rocks in the sand, and Joey was very upset just like the rest of the gang, but was exhausted and fell asleep within ten minutes.

Monica and Chandler sat down near the water and ate some mulberries. They held each others hand and attempted to enjoy the sunrise.

Joey and Phoebe solemnly sat in the little forest, admiring a tiny lizard that was perched on a low hanging tree branch. Eventually, Joey stepped on a thin twig. The twig snapped, causing the lizard to flee. They shrugged and got a bowl of mulberries each.

Rachel sat alone in the shelter. Totally alone. Well, minus Buddy of course. She hated not having Ross with her. Hated it. She didn't even want to be around her friends. Especially Monica. When she looked at Monica, all she saw was Ross, and she couldn't bear it. She was torn up. She didn't even get up to eat. As soon as the woke from her very uneasy sleep she crawled to the shelter, and didn't plan on leaving it. She began to cry all over again. How were her friends handling the pain so well? _What's wrong with me? Why can't I get over him?_ She thought.

Monica and Chandler parted ways. Chandler went over to Joey and Phoebe while Monica sat on a rock and skipped stones. Watching the ripples in the water grow bigger and bigger was very soothing. She thought maybe she would ask Rachel to join her. _Ah, actually I probably shouldn't. She is sitting in the tent sulking. I mean, I get it, its hard on her, they used to be lovers after all. But Ross was my BROTHER! He was Chandlers almost-brother-in-law. She should at least try to handle the pain a LITTLE better than this! I must admit, she is being pretty selfish… As always! You know what? I'm gonna go talk to her!_ Monica thought angrily.

Monica stopped skipping rocks and stomped over to the tent-like house. She swiped away the moss that was covering the entrance to see Rachel laying in the corner crying.

"Hey Mon…" Rachel said without looking at her friend.

"What is up with you Rachel? Can't you see that ALL of your friends are at least TRYING to get over everything, and putting the grieving aside for a bit? You just sit in here crying in a corner while we are out trying to move on!" Monica exploded.

"Monica…" Rachel started softly, before being cut off.

"No! Listen to me for a minute! You know, in this situation I have it 10 times harder than you do! My dad died first, then I got stranded here, and now my BROTHER IS DEAD! But you don't see me isolating myself, not eating, crying alone, and just straight up ignoring everybody! This-"

"BUT I LOVED HIM MONICA!" Rachel blurted out through tears.

Monica stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at Rachel for a moment, trying to process what her friend just said.

"...What?" Monica asked after a while, not sure if she had heard her right.

"W-We were a couple during the time of his death. We didn't want to tell anyone because we didn't want to steal yours and Chandlers thunder. You know, with the wedding coming up… So we decided to keep it under wraps. We would sneak around all the time. It was so much better than it was when we were younger, we are mature, and could handle the relationship for what it was. Now it's all over…" Rachel explained.

Monica looked at Rachel, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm sorry… I- I didn't know."

She said while going in for a hug.

Rachel embraced her tightly. "It's okay Mon. You have a right to be upset. And you're right, I should be trying to handle this a little better than I am."

The pair broke the hug.

"Come on Rach, let's go outside for awhile. I was skipping stones earlier, and it was pretty amusing! Care to join?" Monica asked Rachel, who was now smiling.

"Of course!" Rachel said, trying to have a more optimistic look on everything.

She and Monica walked out of the shelter, their arms linked together. Monica led Rachel over to the rock near Sheila where she was skipping stones previously. They both picked out the flattest rocks and proceeded to skip them across the water.

"Look Mon! I skipped that one rock 5 times in a row!" Rachel said excitedly, pointing to five ripples in a line.

Monica smiled. She was glad Rachel was feeling better. She knew how much she loved him. That would be like Chandler passing away, it would crush her, so she truly understood how Rachel was feeling. "Aw that is great hon!" Monica congratulated Rachel, giving her a pat on the back.

Just then, Joey, Phoebe and Chandler emerged from the trees and went to join them.

"Hey guys! How are you all feeling?" Monica asked.

"We're alright. What about you two?" Chandler questioned.

"We're pretty good, thanks." Rachel answered for herself and for Monica. Monica nodded in agreement.

"So anyways, Phoebe has something to tell you." Joey told Monica and Rachel.

"Okay, what is it?" Monica inquired.

Phoebe stepped forward. "Well, I know this won't exactly make anyone feel any better, but I thought it would be worth mentioning. When I was out in the woods, I thought I saw Ross wandering around in the trees like a lost puppy… Ooh, or Bigfoot maybe! Anyway, maybe it was a sign that Ross is happy in Heaven, and that he is looking down on us. Because that person-like spirit looked exactly like Ross, I swear!"

Just as she was about to respond, Rachel felt a tap on her shoulder.

 **A/N: Review if you want more ;) :0 :)**


	16. A Surprise, and an Explanation

**A/N: Hi, I'm back! Thank you to a guest reviewer named Jules, who told me I should be an author, that made my day! By the way, I had all this planned since I thought of the first chapter, so I didn't do it because people suggested it, I did it because it was my original idea/plan. Anyhow, enjoy! P.s, thank you for the many, many reviews left on the last chapter!**

Rachel felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat, and she let out a little shriek of joy. She couldn't believe her eyes. Monica covered her mouth with her hand, and her eyes watered with tears of happiness.

In front of them was very familiar smiling face.

"Ross!" Rachel squealed as she jumped into him, wrapping her legs around his waist and passionately kissing him. The two kissed for what seemed like forever, enjoying every second together. For a moment, Rachel thought she was imagining all of this.

"See? He's her lobster!" Phoebe said her old iconic line while clapping her hands gleefully.

The lobsters broke the kiss, and everyone went to go hug Ross.

Monica was crying as she wrapped her arms around her brother. "I thought you were gone." She whispered into his ear.

"I would never leave you guys. I wouldn't do it for the world." He whispered back.

Once everyone had greeted him, they all sat down by the shelter for an explanation. Ross sat at the head of the group. His clothes were torn, and he had little strands of algae all over him.

"Ok, so tell us what happened!" Phoebe and Joey said at the same time.

"Alright," Ross began. "It all started when Rachel and I went hiking up a cliff. Everything was normal until I started getting really flustered. I had my heart set on leaving the island. While I was yelling and backing away from Rach, I slipped, lost my footing, and fell over the edge of the cliff. I plummeted down many feet, and landed in the water with a crash. That was when a huge undertow ripped me under the water. It was pulling me very far from the island, and I knew it, but it was so strong that I couldn't get out." Ross took a breath, than continued. "I felt like I was gonna drown just as the riptide stopped. I got up to the surface and I treadded and took a few breaths before looking at my surroundings. Thankfully I could see the island, but from where I was, it was merely a speck in the distance. So I began the swim back. It was long, and definitely tiring, but I managed. I would stop and rest on a rock or sandbar, and then proceed swimming until I reached the island. It took many hours, but I arrived back on the island late last night. By that time, it was very dark, so I just layed down on the sand and fell asleep." He took another breath while his friends eagerly sat there, anticipating what would happen next in Ross' story. "When the sun rose, I looked around where I was. I figured out that I was on the complete OPPOSITE end of the island. And of course, this island is huge, so I had absolutely no idea where I was going. So I picked one direction, walked straight and figured that I would eventually find you guys again. I was walking through the woods for a while, and that is when I spotted Phoebe, Chandler and Joey." Ross said as he gestured to Phoebe, Chandler and Joey.

"Yea! I made up that whole story of Ross being a spirit, but I did actually see him wandering around like a lost puppy! I only did that because I wanted to surprise Rachel!" Phoebe explained.

"Ohhh, so you guys were in on it too? Rachel asked Chandler and Joey. They nodded their heads, while sporting a goofy grin.

"Anyways, once I found them, we hugged and exchanged greetings for a while. They then went back to the camp, and I waited in the woods so I could successfully surprise Rachel and Monica. And thats what happened." Ross said, finally concluding his story.

"Wow, I'm just glad you're okay, you had to deal with a lot." Monica said, feeling sorry for her brother, but she was very thankful that he had returned uninjured.

"I'm pretty good, I am just happy I got back to you guys." Ross stated. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?" He asked his group of island-dwelling friends.

"Uh, nothing much. Joey got a fish named Buddy, which is in the house, if you wanna see him. But that is really all. We were all too concerned about you. Rachel was so upset she wouldn't even come out of the shelter." Chandler explained.

"Aw Rach!" Ross said, looking at his girlfriend.

"She wouldn't eat either, so maybe because you're back she will have a bowl of mulberries or something." Joey added, shrugging.

"Oh my God! That's not good Rach, lets go get you something." Ross said, while taking her over to the food pile. She took a bowl of berries and ate them all up very fast.

"You know, I was desperate to get off this island before, but now I don't care where I am, as long as I have you guys." Ross said smiling at his pals. They all smiled back at him. Everyone was overjoyed. Ross could've died, but thanks to their incredibly good luck (well, not INCREDIBLY good, considering everything that has already happened to them) he was back, safe and sound.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading this much anticipated chapter! More chapters coming soon if you review ;)**


	17. A Day of Adventure

**A/N: Hi, so as you can probably tell, this story will be coming to a close soon! I'm not exactly sure when, probably in the next few chapters or so…? I dunno. I've got some new ideas that I've been pretty eager to try! How would you guys feel if I wrote some fanfiction on some other stuff, like the movie Ted 2, or maybe something on Mamma Mia? I'm not sure how you guys would feel about it, so tell me in the review section, so far everyone I've asked didn't have a problem with it :) Anywho, enjoy this chapter!**

The six friends woke up bright and happy the next morning. Ross was back. The sun was shining. They had a nice shelter. They were together. None of them could've asked for anything more! Well… Maybe it would be nice to be back in New York… But oh well, that probably wasn't gonna happen, so they were just grateful for what they had at the given time. Together they sat inside shelter talking about the days possible events.

"I think I'm gonna travel the island a bit. I wanna see what this place has to offer!" Phoebe told her friends.

"Ok, sounds good!" Monica approved. "I was thinking of going for a swim with Chandler! Anybody care to join?"

"Ooh, ooh, me, me, I want to!" Joey said excitedly.

"Sure Joe!" What about you two lovebirds?" Chandler asked Ross and Rachel.

Ross and Rachel looked at each other and grinned. "Actually," Rachel started, and Ross finished for her, "We're gonna go and, uh, spend the day together. You know, look around the island and stuff."

Monica and Chandler exchanged a knowing look. "Ok, well you two enjoy yourselves." Chandler said, looking at the pair.

They all gathered out of the tent.

"Alright, I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna start my exploring now!" Phoebe said while waving them goodbye.

Phoebe walked on the shore for a bit, and then headed near the trees. She wandered there for a while, until something orange in one of the trees caught her eye. And then there was two more spherical orange objects hanging from the lush trees. Soon she was in what seemed to be a field of them.

"ORANGES!" She shrieked while running towards the fruit covered trees.

She began picking them as fast as she could, until both hands were full. Thankfully, Phoebe was wearing overalls that had a huge pouch in the very front, almost similar to a kangaroo. She filled her overalls until they were ready to burst at the seam. She slowly walked to the shore, took an orange for herself, sat down and admired the water.

xxxxxxx

Monica, Chandler and Joey took off (most) of their clothes and got ready for their swim. Chandler and Monica eased themselves in, like regular people. Then there was Joey, who stepped a few feet back, did a little run through the shallow water, and belly flopped right into the deep water.

"Wow, the water is crystal clear today!" Joey pointed out.

"Yea, its so romantic." Chandler said, looking deeply into Monica's beautiful blue eyes.

Monica went in for a kiss, and he kissed her back. Waist deep in the semi-cold water, they continued to embrace each other for a little while longer, until Joey called out for Chandler.

"Hey! Chandler, come here!" He yelled, completely ignoring the fact that he was trying to have a moment with Monica.

Chandler broke the kiss, and mouthed "I'm sorry" to Monica while paddling over to Joey.

"Yes?" Chandler asked him, slightly irritated.

"I just realised, I need to find some algae to feed Buddy. So could you carry me around while I look for some? Walking in the water is so tiring. Thanks dude." Joey said as Chandler groaned and picked up Joey.

Joey directed Chandler, and Chandler reluctantly went along with it. This went on for a couple of minutes until Joey, who kept his eyes peeled at the bottom of the water, shouted: "Stop! I think I found something!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, do _YOU_ need a break?" Chandler said, witty as usual.

Either way, Chandler followed Joeys command and came to a halt. Joey rolled out of Chandlers arms and splat into the water. Chandler waited for a few seconds, then Joey surfaced, soaking wet, holding a golden pocket watch, rusting with age, covered in sand and plants. It was pure gold, even the long chain. Encrusted on the top of the shell of the pocket watch was a swirl pattern that looked similar to a whirlpool. In the very middle there was a very tiny green gem that looked to be an emerald.

"Get a load of this! I found an ancient clock! Ross would think this is cool, I think it's from the dinosaur age!" Joey said, brightly beaming with excitement over his discovery.

Chandler rolled his eyes. He grabbed the pocket watch and looked very closely at all it's dents and curves.

"I'm gonna go with my instinct and say that this is probably a good hundred years old, not from the dinosaur age." Chandler told Joey.

Joey nodded his head. "Cool! Pass it over, I wanna see if it still works."

Joey took the pocket watch from Chandler and opened it up. It creaked, and some water dripped from its rusty hinges. Some algae resided inside, wrapping around the hands of the clock. None of the mechanical parts worked. It was still.

"Aw damn! It doesn't work." Joey said, slightly disappointed.

Chandler patted him on the back. "It's okay bud, thats still a really cool find! Let's show it to Monica and head back to camp." Joey smiled and swam over to Monica with Chandler and his new artifact.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ross and Rachel walked around the island, in the opposite direction of Phoebe.

"Ross, you don't understand how devastated I was when I thought I lost you. That was some of the worst pain I have ever felt. I'm so, so glad you are safe, and that we are together again."

"Aw Rach, I'm sorry I put you through that pain," Ross said while grabbing her hand, "I'm so relieved that I'm back too, I missed you so much." He said, squeezing her hand."

She smiled at him as they walked along the island at a matching pace. Soon enough, the camp was out of sight.

"Hey Rachel, look at that." Ross said, pointing to a big cave just ahead of them.

"Should we check it out?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"Sure! We'll be okay, I'll go first and protect you." Ross puffed out his chest, attempting to look like a superhero.

Rachel smiled at his gesture. Ross guarded her as they stepped into the shadowy cave. They walked in further and further, and that's when Ross suddenly tripped on something and tumbled to the ground with a thud.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked, concerned for her boyfriend.

"Yea, I'm fine… I wanna see what I tripped on though." Ross said while pushing the object that he tripped on closer to the sunlight coming from outside the cave. When it was finally bright enough to see, Ross shrieked at the sight of what made him fall to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Ross squealed.

"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed.

Before them was a pile of firewood with a not-so-well preserved skeleton resting on top.

"What is it with this island and skeletons?!" Ross said, dramatically throwing his hands up in the air.

Rachel laughed. "Hey, do you wanna start a fire, we should put that firewood to good use!"

"Yea sure, this place good use a little light." Ross agreed. He rubbed the pieces of wood together forcefully until a few sparks erupted. Soon, there was a little fire in the middle of the cave.

"You know, we should bring this little beaten up skeleton back to the shelter, I think Joey would appreciate another friend for Sheila." Rachel suggested, motioning to the somewhat broken skeleton a few feet away from Ross.

"Hm, that's a good idea! But you're gonna have to carry the head!" Ross replied laughing.

Rachel giggled. "Fine," She said while sitting down next to him.

For a while they just looked into each others eyes. The fire was reflecting in Rachel's bright blue eyes, and doing the same in Ross' chocolate brown eyes.

Rachel sighed. "This is sooo romantic…" She said, pulling him close.

"You've got that right." Ross said seductively, laying her down next to him.

They kissed each other and savoured every second that they had in each others arms.

At the end of the day they headed back to the campsite with the skeleton, but of course that was after they "enjoyed each other's company." (If you know what I mean).

 **A/N: Boop! All done this chapter, sorry it took so long for an update, I just wasn't in the writing mood aha. Review :) ! And tell me what you think if I wrote about other stuff too :)**


	18. An Artifact, Bob, and Oranges

**A/N: Hello. Sorry, I believe it has been about 10 days since I've last updated. I've got school now, and publishing a chapter can take up to 3 hours, so during the week I don't normally get the chance to update. Maybe on weekends I will. I have to be in the writing mood for a chapter to be decent, so sometimes you gotta be patient! But so far you guys I have done a great job putting up with the lack of updates so I thank you for that. Boy, I like to ramble don't I? Ok, well enjoy the chapter!**

Phoebe happily trotted back to the tent with all the oranges. She must've picked about 20! She giddily sang to herself, anticipating her friends reactions to the new food. With every step she took the shelter grew nearer, as did Monica, Chandler, and Joey. _Ross and Rachel must still be out. Or maybe they're doing something else…! Or maybe I'm just being gross, and they are actually just going for a stroll around the island. You never know with those two. Those lobsters are just the cutest!_ Phoebe thought to herself. Before she knew it, she was back at the camp.

"Hey guys! Look what I've got!" Phoebe said excitedly, putting all the oranges down in a big pile.

"WOAH! Pheebs, where'd you get all those?" Chandler asked, looking from the stack of fruit and back up to a grinning Phoebe.

"Well I was taking a nice walk around the island and I came across a BUNCH of orange trees! I carried them all back in my huge overalls pocket, see?" She explained, while gesturing to the oversized front pocket on her denim overalls.

"That's excellent, thanks!" Monica said happily while giving Phoebe a hug.

"Any time!" Phoebe responded.

"Hey Phoebe, wanna see something weird?" Joey asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Always!" Phoebe eagerly replied.

Joey then pulled out his newfound artifact.

"Oooh, a pocket watch! This is super cool, where did you find it? It must be old." She gushed.

"Yea, it is really old! I found it when I was out swimming."

"You weren't _swimming_! I was carrying you!" Chandler reminded Joey sharply.

Joey shrugged. "Whatever dude, you lost the bet." 

Just then, Rachel and Ross appeared from the bushes.

"Hi!" They both said together.

"Oh my God! What the hell is that?!" Monica shrieked when she noticed the skeletal parts they were carrying in both their hands.

"Ohhh, that! Yea, thats just Bob." Rachel replied casually, as if holding human remains was just something she did regularly.

"I'm sorry… _Bob?!"_ Chandler asked, his sarcasm extremely evident, as always.

"Yea! We thought Sheila might want a friend! She's been looking a little lonely recently." Rachel said as she and Ross assembled Bobs bones right next to Sheila.

"Great idea! Thanks guys! I'm also gonna put the pocket watch with Buddy. You know, so he has a friend too." Joey said, dangling the pocket watch through his fingers.

"Wow, tha'ts awesome Joey! Did you find that?" Ross asked curiously.

"Yup! It's rusty and everything!" Joey exclaimed proudly.

"Nice! I'll have to take a closer look at that later!" Ross said, still looking at the golden artifact.

"So, you two were gone for a while, where did you go?" Monica questioned the couple.

Ross and Rachel tried not to giggle. "Oh you know… Out." Ross said, doing an awful job of hiding his goofy grin.

Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe exchanged a knowing glance, then changed the subject.

"Well, the sun's going down." Monica reported, peering at the suns rays in the distance.

"What do you say we each take one of Phoebe's oranges and we hit the sack?" Chandler suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Joey exclaimed.

"Ditto." Ross agreed.

"Alright, then it's settled! Pheebs could you toss us each an orange?" Rachel asked Phoebe, who was the closest one to the pile of new food.

Phoebe threw her friends each an orange, and kept one for herself. Together, the six friends walked hand in hand towards the shelter.

 **A/N: That is that chapter! Hope you enjoyed, its primarily a discussion chapter, but I added some humour that you will hopefully find funny so it is not too boring. Thanks for reading! More coming soon if you review! Because on my last chapter I didn't get too many reviews haha. That's okay, I just wanna make sure you guys are still interested! :)**


	19. Memories

**A/N: Ok guys, this is the last chapter! It seems like the right time to end it off, but thats okay! I'll explain more later, just read this for now :)**

Ross yawned and stretched. When he looked around, he noticed that he was the only one in the shelter. _The others aren't up yet, are they? Where'd they all go?_ He thought to himself. Before getting up, Ross took a moment to think. _It's really boring here… I wish we were back at home. Oh well. Sure, it's boring, but at least I'm alive._ Ross remembered his ride-along with Gary when the car backfired. _Hah, I thought someone was taking a shot at me. Then I made that whole "appreciation for life thing." Well now that I've ACTUALLY had a near death experience, I really DO understand how lucky I am to be living._ Ross smiled to himself. He got up and got out of the shelter. In front of him he saw all 5 of his friends laughing and having a good time.

"Hey Ross! You're up! You slept in, it's like noon!" Joey told his friend.

"Oh wow… I've wasted like half the day sleeping!" Ross said in disbelief.

"Ah that's okay, on weekends I wake up at dinner time." Joey said in attempts to make Ross feel better.

Ross smiled and sat down with the others. "Yea, that sounds like you Joe! So, what were you guys talking about, you seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

"We were just laughing at some old memories." Rachel told him.

"Yea, like remember that time when I tried to help you lose a few pounds?" Monica asked Chandler.

"Ohhh yea. I would only do sit-ups if you flashed me. Now you don't have to flash me, I've seen everything I need to see!" Chandler replied, winking at Monica.

"Eeeeew Chandler!" Joey said covering his eyes while everyone laughed.

"Oh oh, I've got one! Remember when we had to move the couch up the stairs! Ross, Chandler and I had a ball." Rachel remeniced.

"I kept screaming PIVOT, PIVOT!" Ross said through bouts of laughter.

"Ugh, that was SO annoying!" Chandler laughed.

"I have one! Remember when I walked into the bathroom and Chandler was in the stall wearing only womens underwear? That was hilarious!" Joey said.

"Yea, I remember. My stupid date took my clothes!" Chandler said, remembering his emotionally painful experience. "Thank God I found Monica, because if I didn't, I'd probably end up doing that a few more times!" He said, laughing at himself.

"Hey guys, remember that time when - GUNTHER?!" Phoebe screamed.

"What did Gunther do?" Joey asked her.

"No, look! It's Gunther!" Phoebe yelled while pointing to a motorboat drawing closer and closer to the island. On the boat was Gunther, all by himself.

The friends ran to the water and waved to him frantically, gesturing for him to come and get them. Gunther reached the island, and stopped the boat.

"Oh my God! Gunther, how'd you know that we'd be out here?" Chandler asked, bewildered.

"Well, I noticed some unusual activity down at Central Perk." He said shortly.

"And what kind of activity would that be?" Ross asked.

" Well, you guys haven't been there in a week, I knew something had to be wrong. Then I was reading a newspaper, and I saw that a boat from the harbour had gone missing. I knew that Jack Geller had passed away and-" Gunther was cut off.

"Wait, how did you know he passed away?" Monica asked suspiciously.

"I eavesdrop on you guys all the time," Gunther said nonchalantly, "Anyways, I knew you guys went off on Joey's boat to give him that burial at sea, so I figured it was you guys on the boat that went missing. I guessed that you were all in some sort of dire situation, so I came to rescue you, and now here I am."

"Ah Gunther you're such a hero!" Phoebe cried.

"Yea, yea, whatever. I'm here for Rachel." Gunther said.

"Hey woah, woah! We all need off this island!" Chandler spoke up.

"Wait you guys," Rachel told her friends as she approached Gunther. "Gunther, will you do anything I want?" Rachel asked Gunther, batting her eyes, and quite frankly, leaving the others wondering where this was going.

"Of course!" Gunther responded.

"Promise?" Rachel asked him.

"Cross my heart." He vowed.

"OK great! Then I want you to take me AND my friends back to New York." Rachel ordered.

Gunther looked at her. "I figured you might say that…" He paused for a moment, then gave in. "Fine, I'll take them. Ross too." Narrowing his eyes at Ross.

"Ok! Lets go!" Monica yelled excitedly.

"Wait, wait, we gotta pack!" Joey said.

"Pack what? Oranges?" Chandler asked sarcastically.

"Oh yea… Ok lets go!" Joey said as he climbed into the boat.

Once they all crowded into the boat, Gunther started the engine, and they took one last look at the island that was fading into the distance. When the island disappeared, they all wrapped each other into a warm, tight hug. They would remember this forever.

After a while, Chandler broke the silence. "You know, we're really lucky Gunther found us. If he hadn't, this probably would've turned into our burial at sea."

 **A/N: That's all folks! Thanks for reading this chapter! The epilogue will be very short, but it'll explain what happened after all this (I'll also save all the sappy thank yous for the epilogue haha)! Btw, I just wanted to let you know, I am currently working on another friends fanfiction! I don't know when I will be posting it (don't expect it to be too soon since I'm writing it at school) but it's about what might have happened if Ross got on a plane to Paris to get to Rachel, but Rachel got off the plane and he didn't know! Alright, till next time!**


End file.
